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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | July 12, 2024 11:12 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Art Haywood |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Enough is ENOUGH - Ending Racial Discrimination on Commonwealth Campuses |
| In August 2020, SpotlightPA published a report titled, “Condemn, Discuss, Repeat”, which explicitly detailed students’ experiences with race discrimination at schools within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). In response, student and alumni advocates launched an advocacy campaign to galvanize state universities to take meaningful actions to end campus racism. State universities made numerous commitments to improve the experience of students. In order to obtain student reactions to the changes, I embarked on the “ENOUGH Listening Tour to End Racism” at state universities. Students were given a direct and unbiased platform to share their experiences of being Black and Brown in higher education. Universities also provided updates on their actions. In February 2024, I was proud to partner with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) to release the ENOUGH Report. The report is a record of student experiences and university responses. While progress has already been made since the report’s release, work remains to be done so that students of color are not hampered from academic achievement because of race discrimination at their schools. This effort has become even more urgent since the U.S. Supreme Court put our nation in reverse by ending affirmative action in college admissions. In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that was developed using recommendations made by students who I met along this journey. This legislation amends the Public School Code to assist PASSHE and the Commonwealth’s state-related universities in in addressing the violations detailed in the ENOUGH Report. Specifically, my legislation requires each state and state-related university to:
Students made clear throughout the listening tour the traumatic impact these experiences can have, forcing some students to leave higher education entirely. This legislation also establishes a Campus Mental Health Grant Program and corresponding fund to ensure PASSHE has all resources at its disposal to properly address students’ mental health. This legislation is the culmination of years of engagement with PASSHE students, faculty, staff, and school leaders to identify ways the Commonwealth’s institutions can and should meaningfully addressing racism. The challenge extends beyond state universities to schools such as the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, Temple, and Lincoln. Ultimately, Pennsylvania’s leaders and institutions must ensure the dignity of all students is respected. To that end, PASSHE presidents and its chancellor have expressed their commitment to end racial harassment and discrimination on its campuses. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to aid in that effort. |